SBCA's demolition campaign in Hyderabad grinds to a halt

Provincial minister asks authority to negotiate with committee of builders, regularise structures where possible

HYDERABAD: The Sindh Building Control Authority's (SBCA) boasted drive of demolishing additional floors of apartment and commercial buildings constructed in Hyderabad without approval has come to a naught.

The action, which the authority claimed will not stop at anything less than the courts' stay orders, is believed to have been suspended on the directives of Local Government Minister Jam Khan Shoro.

However, over a dozen stay orders by many builders have also been obtained from the Sindh High Court's Hyderabad-Circuit Bench.
"The provincial minister asked [SBCA Hyderabad] to stop the campaign, negotiate with a committee of builders and regularise the structures whose violations [of the approved buildings plans] are within the permissible limits," a SBCA official, requesting anonymity, told The Express Tribune.



The rules allow regularisation of up to 20% violations against an approved plan after payment of a penalty as well as the government fee.

SBCA Deputy Director Salman Yousuf, who is also the authority's spokesperson, and Association of Builders and Developers of Pakistan (Abad) Hyderabad region's vice-chairperson, Faraz Hussain Memon, confirmed the development.

According to Abad, SBCA identified nearly a hundred buildings in Hyderabad where unauthorised construction of additional floors had taken place.



Around 25 builders were also issued on May 15 demolition notices, which gave a 24-hour deadline for voluntary knocking down of the additional floors. On May 17, the authority geared into action with its staff attempting to dismantle such floors in five buildings in Latifabad.

"Some of the builders have obtained stays while the others have given assurances [to SBCA] that they will regularise their projects," the SBCA spokesperson said. He cited Karachi Building and Town Planning Regulations, 2002, which he claimed are being applied for violations in Hyderabad, for the regularisation.

"Such deviations shall be regularised on completion of the construction and payment of the requisite composition fee," read a provision, pertaining to the buildings that deviate from the approved building plan, of the regulations.



Memon told The Express Tribune the association has formed a nine-member committee of builders to liaise with the authority. "We are reviewing each case of the alleged violations. Later, the committee will submit applications [to SBCA] for the buildings whose violations are within the permissible limits."

He claimed that as far as he knew, none of the buildings that have been served notices have deviated from the approved plan beyond 20%. Memon accused SBCA Hyderabad Deputy Director Rashid Narejo of coming up with the demolition campaign to force the builders to pay bribes. However, Narejo could not be contacted for his version.



The last decade has seen a dramatic growth of high-rise buildings in Hyderabad, many in apparent violations of building rules. The SBCA allows up to ground plus five-floor construction on a 60-feet wide road and up to 10 storey-buildings on a 150-feet wide road.